Fluorescent Tubes In The Workplace
By admin on Jun 9, 2007 in Hazardous Waste, Fluorescent Tubes
Fluorescent tubes are likely to be found in the majority of office buildings, factories, schools and hospitals throughout the UK. Up until recently the majority of these will have ended up in general waste wheelie bins, skips and other containers. Fluorescent tubes are however classed as hazardous waste, and have been for several years now. The problem is many businesses simply are not made aware of this, unless they have been informed by their waste management contractor.
So why are fluorescent tubes hazardous?
Fluorescent tubes are classed as hazardous waste becouse they contain mercury, which is a toxic material. Although each fluorescent tube only contains a very small amount of mercury, there is still enough mercury in a single fluorescent tube to contaminate 30,000 litres of water beyond a safe level for drinking. Coupled with the fact that there are more than 100 million fluorescent tubes used in the UK each year, generating in excess of 3000 tonnes of waste, fluorescent tubes can pose a significant environmental and human risk.
How to deal with fluorescent tubes
If your business has fluorescent tubes to dispose of, these must be kept separate and not thrown in with your general waste disposal. This is because a single fluorescent tube in a skip full of general waste renders the entire skip as hazardous, and you could end up having to pay extra charges for your waste disposal. You should therefore contact a waste management company that provides a fluorescent tube recycling service.
Sylvia Sidharta | Oct 3, 2007 | Reply
In a recent “The Inventors” programme on ABC Australia (abc.net.au, follow links to The Inventors) they showed a wheelie bin that had been adapted to recycle fluorescent tubes and safe disposal of the mercury contained. Should be installed in all councils across UK and EU